I WANT TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR AND THANKS FOR YOUR MOST LOYAL SUPPORT!

It is very much appreciated, in these uncertain times in this crazy world we have music to keep us sane,so have a great time tonight and stay safe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 AMM

David Ruffin - "David" - Unreleased LP & More (2004) Motown+ Booklet - Rare Soul (FLAC)

 I did a full bio on david with his earlier post this year. David Ruffin ranks with Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and Al Green among the greatest soul singers IMHO. With a craft he honed from his native Mississippi to his adopted Detroit, Ruffin brought lightning to classics like the Temptations’ “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” and his own hits. He was admired by peers and respected by producers. Ruff’s legacy, though, is overshadowed by his troubled life. This collection excavates lost Ruffin recordings from the late sixties and early seventies, when he arguably was at his peak. Author David Ritz witnessed a Ruffin show just after these cuts were completed, in 1971. “He was on fire,” Ritz says. “He had the moves, the style, the gritty grace that only the most powerful soul preachers command.” Yet the fire never spread. Motown shelved the planned album from these sessions. Only from 2004 can we hear what may have been for the complicated man behind the dark-framed glasses.  “David was heartbroken because he was no longer a Temptation,” says producer Ivy Jo Hunter. Ivy is a soft spoken man whose insights sneak up on you. He recalls with clarity Ruffin leaving the group’s classic lineup in spring of 1968, because he cut an entire album for him. “America loves David Ruffin,” he told the singer, hoping to empower Ruffin’s art and ego. But, he says with sadness, “David was volatile and in rebellion. He only showed for one song, ‘Everlasting Love.’ Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol eventually corralled Ruffin into the studio for “My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me).” It became a Top 10 hit across the board in the spring of ’69. The My Whole World Ended LP did well. By the end of the summer, Ruffin had a second LP, Feelin’ Good, ready to go. But the happiness was tempered by legal acrimony with Motown and romantic entanglements with long time girlfriend Genna Sapia-Ruffin and singer Tammi Terrell. “Politically, he was not on the best terms with the company,” says Clay McMurray, a confident staff producer who had been close with the 28-year-old Ruffin since they were teenagers. McMurray remained supportive. “He was never a problem in the studio,” he says. “Never buzzed, always straight and focused.” Clay brought Ruffin to Motown’s Snakepit on Wednesday night, August 27, 1969, to cut “It’s Gonna Take A Whole Lot of Doing” and “Anything That You Ask For”  inventive, intensely rhythmic tracks that pointed Ruffin in a new direction. When Ruffin traveled up two octaves on “Anything That You Ask For,“ the producer pushed the talkback button to get right into Ruffin’s earphones. “Yes, David!” he exclaimed. Ruffin poured it on, punctuating the line “I’m so glad” with a laugh. But the tracks were rejected. The singles from Feelin’ Good stalled. I Am My Brother’s Keeper, a duet album with his older brother Jimmy, produced one minor hit. Ruffin’s rocketing solo career was on pause. “They wouldn’t promote my products,” Ruffin griped to Ritz in 1982. “I couldn’t get Berry Gordy’s attention. I also admit that I was going through some personal changes.” “I knew all that stuff,” says McMurray. “But he never brought it to the studio. He was a pro. He was never buzzed, always came in straight down the middle.” Yet McMurray went back for three more tracks. Smokey Robinson, with Terry Johnson and Al Cleveland, Henry Cosby, Johnny Bristol, Duke Browner and Martin Coleman (née Cohen), McMurray’s writing partner, worked with Ruffin over an 18-month period. Stevie Wonder, feeling his independence, did as well. They inspired each other, sharpening the drama to produce some of the most inventive, fiery tracks to never come out of Motown. “All David wanted to do was sing,” says Hunter. “He’d try to give you what you wanted. All you wanted was the unique thing that he possessed.” Ruffin possessed an instantly recognizable voice. He paid attention to articulation. He had fantastic range, from baritone to falsetto, from smooth to wildly passionate, often in the same song. In “Heaven Help Us All,” he builds from hushed reverence to gospel fervor. In the operatic opening to Hank Cosby’s “I Can’t Be Hurt Anymore,” Ruffin is alone yet determined, in the verses he is a calm story teller. But a falsetto break in mid-word – “re-FLEC-tion” signals there is more, and by the end he is screaming in emotional pain. Ruffin’s arsenal of whoops, cries and moans decorate every track. “No one had the gymnastics he had,” says McMurray, who then was hot with Gladys Knight & The Pips’ “If I Were Your Woman.” “David knew how to sell a song,” he adds. “No one pleads better. He would make you listen. Sometimes I would want to say to him, oh my God, David! Tell me, what can I do for you?” “David was amazing in the way he could add lines without hurting the track,” says Pam Sawyer, a British-American who co-wrote “My Whole World Ended” and three songs from these sessions. “He could fit anything in. He had ideas, and they always improved a song.” Ruffin had the tools to cover “Rainy Night In Georgia,” a huge hit at the time for Brook Benton, whose rendition seemed untouchable. Late one Saturday night in Studio A, McMurray implored Ruffin to get into character. “Give me a little more of that interior thing you do,” he told him. “I want you to be right there in that boxcar in Georgia.” David’s licks dance around a simple, haunting arrangement. “David was a great interpreter,” says Hunter. “He really felt what he was singing. You can’t teach that.” Hunter hadn’t given up on Ruffin after his initial tracks went in the can in ’68. His second chance was “Let Somebody Love Me,” an exquisite lover’s prayer he first cut with Chuck Jackson. “David probably understood the anguish in that song as well as anybody,” Hunter says. “You’d think a guy like that wouldn’t have that problem. The girls were all over all him, some of the prettiest ones I’ve ever seen. But at the same time, that’s not fulfillment.” Two singles from the sessions did not chart, or, were not promoted well enough to make a dent in mid-1971. Ruffin’s third solo album sequenced, mastered, given a Motown catalog number was put back into the tape library, marked with nothing but his name. Ruffin wouldn’t see an album release for another two years. It’s staggering to realize that none of these 19 songs were used to fill out subsequent releases. It’s additionally puzzling to these ears how some of the bonus tracks weren’t even slotted for the original LP. “Motown had too much talent and not enough time,” says Sawyer. “It was like musical chairs: If you stood up, someone else got your seat. David, in his fashion, stood up, and Motown moved on.” Until “Walk Away From Love,” a 1975 collaboration with Van McCoy, David Ruffin was away from the Top 10 for six years. He wouldn’t get there again. Motown insiders feel the company obscured Ruffin’s talents with unfair punishment. Others maintain he was given advice on how to escape the dog house and straighten his sagging career, and accepted none of it. Ruffin remained self destructive until his death from a cocaine overdose at age 50, in 1991. “He just got so far out there,” Hunter says with a sigh, “he couldn’t find his way back in.” We found a way to bring this music out. David Ruffin’s great gifts deserve to be heard. Take it from me a lifelong David Ruffin fan this is one of his greated albums you will ever hear...But of course i am totally biased as i love the guys voice and music!

AMM

                                            The Tasters! (Hard To Choose As All Great Tracks!)

Various Artists - Old King Gold Vol 3 (1975) King - Rare R&B/Soul (MP3) HQ

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*****REPOST BY REQUEST*****Various Artists – Jonathan Toubin,s New York Night Train - Souvenirs Of The Soul Clap Vol 1 (2014) Norton - LP Only Release - Rare R&B/Soul

 Quite a few of you missed this first time around for various reasons so here you go!

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Various Artists - Deep & Gritty The Sound Of The City Vol 4 New Orleans (2013) SGTM + Mini Booklet - Rare Soul (MP3) HQ

 New Orleans - the Home of the blues. Yes and the Crescent City also produced some wonder- ful soul music too, especially during the 60s when a myriad of indie labels flourished. This CD brings together the best of those hard and heavy numbers, plus the pick of the tracks recorded just a little bit earlier, and forward into the 70s and 80s. Deep, gritty and then some!

AMM (liner notes)

                                                      Review Courtesy Of Oldsoulrebel

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Various Artists - Jonathan Toubin,s New York Night Train - Souvenirs of the Soul Clap Vol 2 (2014) - LP Only Release - Rare R&B/Soul (MP3) HQ

I posted Volume 1 way back in September 2021 and totally forgot about the other 4 volumes so will be putting that right asap!...Jonathan Toubin (born July 29, 1971) is an American DJ, record producer, musician, writer, and historian. He is the founder and proprietor of the New York Night Train event production company. Heralded "The most-liked man in the soul music scene" by Rolling Stone and "New York's best DJ" and "the only DJ we actually like" by VICE, Toubin is best known for his energetic dance party sets consisting of tightly juxtaposed obscure 1950s and 1960s Rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul 45s. New York Times describes the DJ's fare as "cleaner and more appreciative of American pop music history than much of the rest.". He is also known for his New York Night Train parties and their role in "revamping the entire landscape of New York and Brooklyn from midnight till the after hours" in what the Village Voice describes as "his own kind of dance revolution". His best known event is the New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-Off, which has been called "the most popular soul dance party in the world" by SXSW. It is the only soul dance party to have had an entire night dedicated to it at Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing and at SXSW, and plays in dozens of international markets and major festivals annually plus monthly at the Brooklyn Bowl. In over 1600 gigs since 2007, Toubin has appeared in hundreds of night clubs. In 2014, Toubin was voted Best New York DJ in the Village Voice Reader's Choice Contest. He currently has DJ compilations available on Burger Records and Norton Records...As on this blog. Born in 1971, Toubin grew up in Houston, Texas. As a child, he was obsessed with rock and roll/R&B. At age fifteen, he "put on punk shows...for anti-nuclear causes in the hardcore era." He moved to Austin in 1989 to attend the University of Texas where he received a B.A. in English. He also deejayed on their station KTSB, which later became KVRX. In 1998, he moved to New York where he subsequently joined the band Grand Mal. After the band lost their record deal with Slash Records and the shock of September 11 (he had worked in both of the Twin Towers), he quit music and entered the graduate program in American Studies at City University of New York. During this time, he published an academic paper for Institute for Studies in American Music titled "Uptown-Downtown- Hip Hop Music in Downtown Manhattan in the Early 1980s", which appeared in the anthology Critical Minded New Approaches to Hip Hop Studies. He directly links this research to his approach to creating noteworthy events within the current music landscape stating, "It definitely made me wonder what was going wrong with culture and if anybody could possibly do anything cool in terms of parties, unique music, public social culture, etc. in this day and age. He abandoned his thesis in 2005 and moved to Williamsburg in order to return to his music career......I,ll be posting the other albums quite soon. Many great Northern Dancers that will get you movin as most on here have been floor fillers!

AMM 

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Various Artists - Northern Boys - Classics, Gems & Treasures From Talcum - Coated Dancefloor (2013) + Mini Booklet - Righteous - Rare Soul (MP3) HQ

Including Charles Sheffield’s supreme ‘It’s Your Voodoo Working’ and prime cuts from Major Lance, Joe Simon, Freddie North, Ronnie Love and J.J. Jackson among others, featuring dusty gems and buried treasures from unlikely heroes Nolan Strong And The Diablos, Carl Lester And The Show Stoppers     Filled with driving rhythms, air punching choruses and feet shuffling pounders on a string of 45s that touch on heartache, nervous stress and undying romanticism and vain attempts at love as only black artists can convey!,,strange front cover ?

AMM

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Various Artists - Northern Girls - Heartbreak, Revenge & The New Dance Craze (2013) Righteous - Rare Soul (MP3) HQ

25 tracks of pricey northern soul 45s from some of the great female voices. Sweeping strings and compulsive dance beats underpin this collection that brings together Patti LaBelle, Little Eva and Claudine Clark. With obscure gems from Juanita Nixon, Ann Cole, Tiny Topsy and Lula Reed, plus some storming anthems including Barbara Dane’s euphoric ‘I’m On My Way’ and ‘Tell Him’ by The Exciters.

AMM

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UPGRADE*******REPOST R.I.P. Thom Bell - Kent 488 - Various Artists - Ready Or Not - Thom Bell's Philly Soul Arrangements & Productions 1965-1978(2020) + Booklet - Rare Soul (FLAC)

I hope you all had a great Xmas guys, but on a sedder note...I posted this way back in 2020 in mp3...i think maybe on the old blog .. so ripped to Flac in this tribute..Thom sadly passed on December 22nd as BillyMac kindly informed me. So thom never recorded any albums just this one compilation From kent reviewing his major work on other artists. Thom was a Composer, arranger, conductor, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Born Thomas Randolph Bell in 1943 in Kingston, Jamaica, but raised in Philadelphia. He was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. Along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Thom Bell was one of the three people responsible for The Sound Of Philadelphia, a lush, orchestrated take on soul music that dominated the charts in the early to mid-70s. Using the most unusual instrumentation harpsichords, French horns, & sitars. Thom,s arrangements built the careers of the Delfonics and the Stylistics, and reinvented acts as varied as the Spinners, Dionne Warwick and Johnny Mathis. The distinctive sound of a Thom Bell arrangement is largely down to an upbringing devoid of R&B. Growing up in a middle-class Philadelphia household, he was playing piano, drums and flugelhorn by the time he was nine. “We didn’t have any radio or anything, we were trained classical musicians,” says Bell. “From when I was five ’til I was 17, I studied two or three hours a day. First thing I heard on the radio was Little Anthony & the Imperials’ ‘Tears On My Pillow’. I thought, What kind of music is this? This is nice music!” He became a singer in a duo with Kenny Gamble. A year later the duo expanded to a five-piece, Kenny Gamble & the Romeos, and started to pick up work as session musicians at Philadelphia’s hot Cameo and Parkway labels. It was another Little Anthony & the Imperials hit, ‘I’m On The Outside (Looking In)’, that inspired him in 1964. “Writer and producer Teddy Randazzo, he was my leader ‘Outside Looking In’, ‘Hurt So Bad’ … now we’re talking. I never got to meet Teddy Randazzo, and I’m sorry about that. Randazzo and Bacharach, those were my leaders. They tuned me in to what I was listening to in a more modernistic way.” Cameo-Parkway eventually gave Gamble, Bell and Leon Huff (Bell’s replacement in the Romeos) more of a free hand, resulting in some beautiful 45s for Eddie Holman, the Orlons, Dee Dee Sharp and the Delfonics that helped to cement the lush, atmospheric Philadelphia sound. When the label folded in 1967, Bell took the Delfonics with him, and when the group moved on a few years later, he began to work with the Stylistics and then the Spinners, creating even bigger hits. Throughout these years, he kept a close-knit team around him, and the lyricist he worked with the most was Linda Creed. They worked together for nine years & when she died in 1986, aged 37, he was at her side. As a writer, producer and arranger, Thom Bell’s originality and the quality of his work deserves the same acclaim as that heaped on Nile Rodgers or Burt Bacharach. He prefered to stay in the shadows, though, and over the years has allowed Gamble and Huff to take the Philly soul limelight. Still, when he talks about his work, there’s an acknowledgment of lucky breaks but there is no false modesty. “Some people were like ‘Are all these strings necessary, why don’t you make regular R&B?’ Because I’m not R&B. I make music. Nobody else is in my brain but me, which is why some of the things I think about are crazy – I hear oboes, and bassoons, and English horns. But I’m lucky, I cross styles. I was enthusiated. Not enthused, enthusiated. I had my own language, and I was able to do what I wanted to do.” Bell established himself as one of the most important R&B/Soul music figures of all time. A legend in soul circles and in Philly who will be missed.

AMM

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Sammy Turner – The Complete Story (1995) Marginal 104 - Rare R&B/Soul (FLAC)

Sammy was Born Samuel Black in  1932 in Paterson, New Jersey. One of the great underated voices in black music along with his stablemate at Big Top records Lou Johnson IMHO. Sammy who had chart success with his revivals of old standards in 1959-1960. He was a smooth, Tommy Edwards styled singer, with a four-and-a-half octave range. He worked with top producers (Leiber and Stoller, Phil Spector) and major New York session musicians like King Curtis and Panama Francis. Born into a musical and religious family, Sammy sang in the church choir in his hometown of Paterson, NJ, from an early age. At the time of his high school graduation in 1950, both his parents had died and Turner decided to join the US Army voluntarily, serving in Korea and Japan. Next he studied psychology and law for a few years. When Sammy rejoined the Army in January 1954, he was enlisted in the Special Services to entertain the troops with his singing. His musical career started in earnest in 1957, when he joined a group called the Twisters. The other members were Al Prater, Milton Artis, Ed Bradley and someone whose name Sammy couldn’t recall. Turner soon became the leader and lead tenor of the group. They attracted the attention of a talent manager named Herb Lutz, who thought Turner sounded like Tony Williams of the Platters. Lutz felt he could exploit the similarity to commercial advantage, in light of the trend towards reviving old songs such as “It’s All In the Game” and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”. The first company Lutz approached was Atlantic and they were interested, but Johnny Bienstock’s Big Top label offered a better percentage. The first Big Top single was “Sweet Annie Laurie”, a song with roots as far back as the 18th century. Credited to Sammy Turner and the Twisters, it was released in January 1959 and spent one week at # 100 on the Billboard Hot 100. The first seven Big Top releases by Turner were all produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, whose contract with Atco / Atlantic was non-exclusive. Turner split from the Twisters after his debut record and went solo. Following a promotional British tour, during which Turner made an appearance on ABC-TV’s “Boy Meets Girl” show. Turner did not record in 1962 and 1963, though he was still touring. He began to write songs for others (without any significant hits) and started his own publishing company. In 1964 he had an isolated release on Motown (a remake of the Platters’ hit "Only You”), followed by one single on 20th Century Fox in 1965 and two on Verve in 1966. Later releases featured duets with Gloria Henry (1970) and a two-part single on the Millennium label, “Do You Know What Life Is All About” (1978), which probably was his last record to hit the market. In 1992 Turner gave an interview to Seamus McGarvey (published in Now Dig This 163, October 1996), in which he grossly exaggerates his achievements. He told McGarvey that he’d like to record again, but as far as I know, this wish did not materialize. He did find more success via the UK Northern Scene where a few of his 45,s were big hits with the dancers. Still going strong today in his 90,s. This album gathers his best recordings for listeners and dancers alike with his only album release plus the best of the rest! If you dont know sammy,s work but you like Lou Johnson then this is right up your street..Superb!

AMM

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Various Artists - Phil Spector's Flips And Rarities - (2013) Marginal PS001 - Rare Soul/R&B/Doo Wop/Pop (FLAC)

The original flip sides to everybody’s favorite convicted murderer/hugely influential pop music producer phil Spector‘s string of mega hits issued on his own Philles label have never been re-issued in any way until this CD came out. Certainly this is an unauthorized CD compilation of rare 1960s tracks that Phil Spector had something to do with, as either producer, songwriter, or even artist.  Just because Spector was involved in a record didn't necessarily mean it was good, and the merits of this 30-song anthology are extremely erratic, though there are more undoubted high points than lows. Most of these cuts are good and still in demand by colllectors. The sound quality is pretty good, but the tracks have almost certainly (sometimes quite audibly so) been taken from vinyl records rather than master tapes as is the case with most Marginal/Bar releases. But back in the day there was a huge demand for rare Soul/R&B/Pop that the record companies ignored so Marginal from Belgium stepped up and filled that gap thankfully! These Marginal CD,s are still very much in demand today and hard to obtain. Love him or hate him Spector was years ahead of his time and a great innovator.

AMM

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TAKING A BREAK FOR A FEW DAYS SO HAVE A LOVELY TIME GUYS AND CATCH YOU LATER!

 Family time for me so catch you all later merry xmas!

AMM

Various Artists - Soul On Fire - The Detroit Soul Story 1957 - 1977 (2017) Cherry Red - Triple CD (86 Tracks) + Fantastic 36 Page Booklet (FLAC) - Rare R&B/Soul

Perhaps this has to be one of the greatest compilations of a Detroit record label and its owner ever, all about Lu-Pine records and the labels ran by Robert West. Alabama born Robert West who kicked off his many labels in 1957 with Silhouette records releasing the Falcons  "Sent Up"..Eddie Floyd was his nephew and prominent in the group that he managed. But read the booklet its all in there and a fantastic read if you want to know about the Detroit record scene back then. This is the Detroit sound from its humble beginnings of the late 50,s to the searing soul of the  mid 70,s...All the taster have been played on the Northern Scene here in the UK over the last 58 years...Incredible records on an incredible scene......SO LETS GO AND GET THIS PARTY STARTED!...YESSSS!

AMM

                                                                    CD1 "POW" FRONT

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                                                                     CD2 "RIGHT ON"

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                                                                     CD3 "TASTIE"

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Bettye LaVette Detroit Christmas Special 1991 - NO POSTS TODAY BUT A SPECIAL BIGGIE TOMORROW TRIPLE CD THE DETROIT SOUL STORY IN FLAC + FANTASTIC 36 PAGE BOOKLET!

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL GUYS AND THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THIS BLOG!

 

Native Son - Native Son (1979) JVC-Japan - LP Version - Rare Jazz/Funk/Fusion (FLAC)

This was Native Sons debut album that came to my attention in the Jazz/Funk clubs back in the day. Since this they have travelled and performed all over the world and recorded another 10 albums The band consisted of Takehiro Honda - Electric Piano,Clavinet,Synthesizer,Celesta, Hiroshi Murakami - Drums, Tamio Kawabata - Electric Bass, Motonobu Ohde - Electric Guitar, Kohsuke Mine - Tenor & Soprano Saxophone, Damião Gomes De Souza - Cuica with honda the driving force behind the band.

AMM

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Tracks

01 Bump Cruising
02 Heat Zone
03 Breezin' & Dreamin'
04 Wind Surfing
05 Whispering Eyes
06 Twilight Mist
07 Super Safari
08 Whispering Eyes (Reprise)

Various Artists - Wrap It Up - The Isaac Hayes and David Porter Songbook (2022) Ace + Booklet - Rare Soul (FLAC)

Their partnership lasted barely four years and just over 50 songs, but between 1965 and 1969 Isaac Hayes and David Porter penned some of soul’s most enduring anthems of their era, many of which are still being regularly performed and recorded to this day. This is a fantastic collection featuring almost half of the total number of songs they wrote together in versions you would expect, and versions you wouldn’t!  Hayes and Porter wrote for almost every major act on the Stax roster, but the commercial appeal of their songs gave them appeal to artists operating outside of the perimeters of soul music. ZZ Top, Peter Frampton, the (Count) Bishops and Charlie Rich are just some of the fine artists you will find here essaying Hayes and Porter copyrights alongside Stax stalwarts such as Johnnie Taylor, Mable John, the Emotions, the Soul Children, Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, and, of course, Sam and Dave whose recordings of their songs were what established Hayes and Porter as a peerless songwriting force in the first place. As lovingly curated and expertly annotated as you would expect any Ace project in the Songwriter Series to be, “Wrap It Up” is another valuable piece in the great American songwriting jigsaw, and very much a collection where the songs that were not necessarily big hits are easily on a par with those that were. It is a fitting audio tribute to two men who have between them won just about every major award going, from Grammys to election to the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. Every track is a gem IMHO from the 2 Legends.

AMM

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Kent 330 - Joe Simon - Soul For The Dancefloor (2009) + Booklet - Rare Soul (FLAC)

Joe Simon was such a prolific artist and so successful a soul singer in so many styles in the USA that us Europeans sometimes struggle to appreciate his true worth. Admittedly a man who can jump from the beautiful balladry of ‘Your Time To Cry’ to the fun and frolic-filled ‘Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor)’ without batting an eyelid is unusual if not unique. That serves to emphasise his versatility, but more importantly he has a rare voice and range that can deliver on whatever song is presented to him. Joe Simon is the second Spring artist to have a “Soul For The Dancefloor” compilation of their work. As on the well received Millie Jackson CD of the same title that has already been posted. This CD showcases the mid to uptempo tracks with a high soul quotient for the discerning Kent collectors as most of you guys are. The die hards may already own the several Southbound CDs of Joe’s Spring albums as well as possibly having snapped up his “Greatest Hits” and the Ace compilation of his earliest work, “Mr Shout”. If not dont worry as i have them all on request. Kent have managed to duplicate only six of the 24 tracks from the “Greatest Hits” CD which came out in 1997 i think ?  Four of the tracks here were completely new to CD at the time of release, including a previously unissued, in any form, dance version of ‘(You Keep Me) Hangin’ On’ his Sound Stage 7 ballad hit. Three tracks have substantial edits that make the LP tracks more pertinent to this fast moving celebration of Joe’s dancers.
Though Joe was moved periodically from the Nashville studios, where he cut his SS7 label career and his first Spring recordings, to those of Philadelphia and New York, he still recorded both ballads and up-tempo numbers wherever he worked. Ironically the most country sounding track on this CD, to my ears, was written by Gamble and Huff and recorded in Philly, ‘Ole Night Owl’ is a track chosen by UK compiler/DJ  Sean Hampsey who has often programmed it in his forward thinking modern soul DJ spots.  Conversely ‘Easy To Love’ was a Donnie Fritts and Tony Joe White song produced by the legendary country soul DJ and entrepreneur John R down in Nashville, but could so easily have been a sophisticated east coast session. There were many gems hidden away on Joe’s albums. ‘Still At The Mercy Of Your Love’ is an incredible remake of a Walter Jackson mid 60s Okeh ballad treated to a whole new uptempo style which, like its neighbouring track ‘Who Was That Lady’ (a Brad Shapiro song), has benefited from some judicious editing. Speaking of the ladies, Kent have included the single of Joe’s duet with Clare Bathé ‘Deeper Than Love’ that was issued on the early 80s Posse label. Clare was a talent that Joe brought to the label, he also cut two great solo tracks on her. Included are the big hits ‘Power Of Love’ and ‘Step By Step’, because they’re great soul dance records and even though they are very well known, the CD would be incomplete without them. On the slower side  the beautiful track‘Georgia Blue’ is included. The Spring single, non LP track, ‘Love Ain’t Never Hurt Nobody’ starts off slowly, but then builds to a respectable modern soul dance tempo, it has evaded release on CD until it was included on this CD. Other dancefloor fillers include ‘I. O. U.’, ‘Let Me Be The One (The One That Loves You)’ and the sensationally stormy ‘In My Baby’s Arms’.At 78 minutes plus, kent have squeezed as many Joe Simon dancers in as possible and the quality of the music makes it an essential purchase for believers, converts and those who are just about to see the light. A full bio was done previously on one of the two posts. I love the guys style and so unique voice that i find irresistable on anything he sings, ask any Soul & Northern Fan !

AMM

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Various Artists - Danse A La Musique! - (2013) Benny & Groove LP Only Release - Rare Soul/Funk (MP3) HQ

A very rare LP from Belgium, not sure it it was a boot ? but some great tracks on it nevertheless, a few northern classic dancers included...for e.g Sly Stone took his original tapes of Dance to the Music, stripped out the verses , added a new vocal in French and put a fuzz guitar up front. Could this be the first ever remix of a chart hit? Aimed well ans truly at the soul market but no CD release ?

AMM

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James & Bobby Purify Meet Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon (1997) Marginal 116 - Rare Soul (MP3) HQ

James & Bobby Purify were an R&B singing duo and cousins, whose biggest hits were "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966, which reached number six in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and in a re-recorded version number 12 in the UK Singles Chart (in May 1976), and "Let Love Come Between Us" in 1967 a big hit on the UK northern scene, which reached number 23 in the US. The original "Bobby Purify" (Robert Lee Dickey) was replaced by a second "Bobby Purify" (Ben Moore) in the 1970s. They recorded 4 studio albums and 40 singles.sadly both now passed away. Johnny Johnson was born in Florida, and raised in Rochester, New York. more popular in the UK than the USA they toured the circuit of soul and northern clubs in the UK and Europe. They had their first major UK hit in October 1968 with "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache", written and produced by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, on the Direction label, part of CBS, which reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart
"Breaking down the walls of heartache" was and still is revered as a classic. Johnny retired years ago through ill health to New York,This CD collects the best of the two acts with most of their northern tracks featured. Without a doubt both acts are legends with the soul fraternity here in the UK at least and when i caught them live they were superb and always delivered the goods!

AMM.

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RARE NORTHERN SOUL VOL 136 (MP3) HQ

 

                            

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RARE NORTHERN SOUL VOL 137 (MP3) HQ

  
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